Dr. Murad's Tips for Clear Skin

The renowned dermatologist on how to banish breakouts

Healthy, clear skin takes discipline. This is my biggest takeaway from my time spent with renowned dermatologist Howard Murad, MD, whose eponymous skincare line is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Until I spoke with him, like most people I made the mistake of looking at skincare as a primarily topical endeavor. Even if it made my skin burn or caused temporary discoloration, if the label on the tube promised a new potent cocktail of chemical agents (and had a memorable TV ad), you can bet I was in front of the mirror slathering it on generously.

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"The truth is," Murad told me within the first few minutes of our talk, "your whole body is connected—what you feed it, literally, and what you feed your brain makes a difference." Wanting to redeem myself, I mentioned I was getting better at remembering to drink those 64 oz of water a day. "Hydrating isn't about drinking your water so much as eating it," he said. "When you saturate your body with water, you end up losing more than you gain. When you eat your water through raw fruits and vegetables—goji berries and pomegranates are particularly good—you not only hydrate, you also give your body antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and roughage." Okay, so diet plays a big role. I've always known that, if not so much heeded it, but what about once you've developed acne? What can one do to speed up the recovery process? "For someone your age (29), it's important not to use products aimed at teenage acne," Murad says. "Those products target `violent' hormonal acne, which is a very different condition than what women in their late 20s through 40s have. What you need are calming agents with anti-inflammatory ingredients."

Another major issue for women in this age bracket is aging—more specifically, finding noninvasive ways of battling the wrinkles, reduced elasticity, and minor discoloration that inevitably occur as one gets older. Fortunately, Murad's newest product line, Anti-Aging Acne (to be released in January), addresses both of these issues. Rooted in the doctor's proprietary system for optimizing cell hydration and skin health, the three-step system (cleanser, serum, and moisturizer) combines gentle, acne-fighting ingredients like encapsulated (i.e., time release) Salicylic Acid, Black Cohosh, and Willow Bark extract with antioxidants and Hyaluronic Acid, which, respectively, neutralize free radicals and bind moisture to the skin.

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And what about picking at your skin? I felt embarrassed to ask, because I knew what Murad would say, but all my girlfriends and I admit to having done it, so in a nutshell, what's so bad about giving in and getting rid of the whitehead? "I'm sympathetic to this situation," he says, "however, there is bacteria on the surface of the skin, and even though your body produces peptides that work as a natural antiseptic, when you break the barrier, you introduce that bacteria into your body and run the risk of exacerbating the problem." But if we have no choice, I pleaded, what is the safest way to perform the self-surgery? "What I recommend is taking a shower, steaming your face, and with a warm towel, gently pat your face until the blemish extracts on its own." Afterwards, he recommends using a spot treatment with an effective antiseptic, and leaving the affected area alone for several hours. "Sleep on it," he recommends, "getting deep sleep is one of the best things you can do for your skin—it's during REM sleep that your body regenerates cells and produces collagen, [both of] which are key for maintaining youthful skin."

Almost as ill advised as picking, according to Murad, is the use of the wrong product, or type of product, on any given skin aggravation. Be it Rosacea, perioral dermatitis (tiny, reddish bumps around the mouth), hormonal, cystic, or stress-induced acne, many topical treatments, Murad warns, can cause the skin to over-dry or worse, become even more irritated. Even though I instinctively tend to believe that the more painful a treatment is, the harder—and more effectively—it's working, Murad's key message here is always to err on the side of gentleness.

Moving on to the timely issue of cold weather skincare, I ask the doctor what simple day-to-day changes he recommends for keeping dry skin at bay. "In keeping with my philosophy of bettering skin from the inside out, I advise people to up their intake of good oils—namely, fish oils—and those found in walnuts and eggs." Remembering to switch on the humidifier to counter the aridity of heated indoor air before going to bed is also a good idea.

After I thanked Murad for his skin tutorial, I realized my daily regimen of lots of sugar, very little sleep, and a lack of self-control in front of the mirror were far more to blame for my breakouts than not finding the right spot treatment. To really give the Murad method a fair chance, I needed to totally revamp my approach, which, as I said in the first sentence of this piece, would take a lot of discipline.

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